Police had halted the investigation into a maths teacher's affair with a
teenage pupil hours before he allegedly abducted her to France, a court
heard.

Jeremy Forrest has been found guilty of child abductionPhoto: LUKE MACGREGOR/REUTERS

By Victoria Ward

4:04PM BST 14 Jun 2013

Jeremy Forrest, 30, fled abroad with the schoolgirl last September when they thought their illicit affair had been discovered and panicked.

They were on the run for eight days, sparking an international manhunt, before they were eventually captured in Bordeaux and Forrest was arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

Rumours about the pair's relationship had swirled around Bishop Bell Church of England School in Eastbourne for seven months before they ran away, a jury heard.

Forrest was confronted about the allegations seven times but repeatedly denied anything untoward had happened, became tearful and accused the girl of lying.

Alicja Bobela, the assistant head, told Lewes Crown Court that Sussex Police contacted her in September after receiving a tip off that Forrest had sent intimate photographs of himself to the girl's phone and confirmed that the phone would be analysed for evidence.

"They (subsequently) left a message for us to say that there was no evidence on (the girl's) phone so they were not going to seize Jeremy's phone," she said.

"We were left with the idea that we had to follow up the investigation. We did not know where to begin really."

However, by that point the girl had told Forrest her phone had been seized and they were convinced the game was up.

Forrest booked tickets on a cross-Channel ferry and they absconded that evening.

The court heard that Forrest had been given frequent warnings about the teenager's infatuation in the months leading up to their disappearance.

In July, two former pupils informed the school of rumours that Forrest had been seen picking the girl up from her work experience placement but he resolutely denied it when confronted.

"He said that he didn't know where this was coming from," Miss Bobela told the jury.

"He said 'why was she telling these lies? Why is she doing this to me?'

"He seemed quite distraught, tearful. He was quite frantic."

In fact, Forrest had by that point begun a sexual relationship with the girl, who had just turned 15, and had told her he was in love with her.

He decided to call the girl's mother in order to reassure her and Miss Bobela admitted she was "amazed" that Forrest actually got through as her own seven attempts to make contact had gone unanswered.

Several teachers told the court they were aware that Forrest's marriage was in trouble, that there were rumours his wife, Emily, was abusive, and that he had been sleeping in his car.

Emma Tremaman, an ICT and business teacher, said he had mentioned that his wife was going into the Priory and was glad of the opportunity to join a school trip to Los Angeles last February in order to be away from home.

It was on this trip that the girl claimed she "fell in love" with Forrest.

Neil Pittman, a science teacher, said he warned Forrest twice about "professional boundaries" and told him to keep his distance from the girl in order to protect himself and his reputation.

Forrest was warned not to contact the girl via Twitter, not to encourage her to hang around his classroom, not to spend any time with her alone and to keep his classroom door open.

However, he was surprised to learn that after their initial conversation in February, Forrest had invited the girl into his maths revision class when she was supposed to be excluded and had been seen having a "jovial" conversation with her at the school gate.

"I did ask myself whether this was an example of distancing themselves," he said. "Potentially, it was an unwise thing to do."

Miss Bobela, who was in charge of child protection at the school, said Forrest had told her that he was able to cope with the girl's infatuation and was not in danger of "being enticed" by her.

She said she contacted the Local Authority for advice about the situation in May, when another pupil revealed she had seen private messages from Forrest to the girl in which he told her his marriage was in trouble and that he missed her.

"Why would somebody be telling a 14 or a 15-year-old person about his marital situation?" Miss Bobela said.

Mark Talbot, the deputy head, who spoke to Forrest about the allegations in March and again in April, said he had seemed "frustrated and irritated" that he was being asked to discuss the issue yet again but seemed clear that nothing was going on.